What Will I Learn?

Students will gain knowledge in human anatomy and physiology, develop skills in observing patients, learn fundamental principles of patient care, understand patients' legal rights, acquire proficiency in tracking and reporting patient information, and become familiar with safety protocols.

Description

The Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) course prepares the student to provide hands on personal care in numerous settings, such as a hospital, long-term care, assisted living, home health or hospice. The course meets the Federal and Idaho State requirements for the training of CNAs. The class consists of 88 hours of classroom/lab and 32 hours of clinical experience led by an RN instructor. Opportunities abound for immediate employment and it is a great foundation for many other health care professions, such as nursing, radiology technologist and surgical technologist.

Additional costs:

  • Textbook: $54.50
  • BLS CPR Certification: $15
    • Will be apart of registration cost starting Spring 2025
  • American DataBank-Complio Registration: $17
  • Manual Skills: $65.00 per attempt
  • Written: $50.00 per attempt
    • $21 due at time of test registration
    • $29 due at time of testing

Cost may vary on the following:

  • Scrubs
  • Analog wristwatch with a second hand
  • Closed toed shoes
  • 3-Ring binder and pen
  • Drug Screen
  • Background check
  • TB test 
  • Influenza vaccine
  • Covid vaccine

Who Should Attend?

Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant is essential for individuals interested in or currently working within various healthcare settings, such as hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities.

Instructions and Admission Requirements

With new requirements being requested by our industry partners, we are now requesting the following to be completed by students prior to enrolling in a CNA course:

Once pre-admission requirements are completed, the student will be contacted by one of the following HSHS office staff with registration instructions:

Walk Away With

Upon successful completion of the course, students become eligible to undertake both the skills and written exams, leading to placement on the Idaho CNA registry.

The Manual Skills Test comprises the performance of 5 to 7 randomly assigned procedures that nursing assistants have learned during their training. This test typically takes approximately one hour to complete and involves working with a partner. During 30 minutes of the test, students act as CNAs, while for the remaining 30 minutes, they assume the role of the patient. Upon completion, nursing assistants receive immediate feedback on whether they have passed or failed. The test may be retaken up to three times.

The Written Skills Test is usually scheduled on a bi-monthly basis at the CSI testing center, located in the Meyerhoffer building. Registration prior to the exam is mandatory, and interested individuals can obtain registration information from the HSHS front office. Lasting approximately 90 minutes, this test assesses the nursing assisting knowledge of the candidates. It can be taken in written or oral form, conducted in English. Similarly, this test can also be retaken up to three times.

The Idaho Health & Welfare maintains a Registry of all CNAs. To maintain active status on the Registry, individuals must be employed as nursing assistants at least once during each 2-year period. Before the expiration date indicated on the Registry, a renewal application is typically mailed to the nursing assistant. The next expiration date is determined based on the most recent or current employment date. Nursing assistants who have been unemployed for more than two years must undergo manual skills and written competency testing again to regain active status on the Registry.

Explore Your Career Options

If you are interested in learning about career opportunities in the Magic Valley take a look below.

If you are interested in learning more about our Work-Based Learning Center resources explore your options below.